THE NEW MINING RULES FOR WESTLAND.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 721, 1 September 1870, Page 4

THE NEW MINING RULES FOR WESTLAND.

A public meeting was held at the Road Board office, Paroa, on Monday evening last, for the purpose of adopting a petition to his Excellency the Governor in Council, requesting the withdrawal of the new mining rules for Westland and substituting the old ones. Mr Venables was called to the chair. He -asked the Secretary to read the correspondence. Mr Hurst read the report of the subcommittee, and a telegram from Mr W. H. Harrison, to the effect that nothing could be done until the question of Annexation was decided. If the Bill passed the mining rules would be at once suspended." He then read the following petition : — " To Hts Excellency the Governor in Council, — " The petition of the undersigned, miners, inhabitantsof the County of Westlaud, New Zealand, humbly showeth — "Ist. That Conrad Hoos, Esq., the Chairman of the County Council of the County of Westland, New Zealand, has revoked certain Rules and Regulations for the Westland Gold Fields, made by William . Sefton Moorhouse, Esq. , the then Superintendent of the Province of Canterbury, on the 31st day of December, 1867, and published in the Government Gazette of the said Province, No. 82, of the 31st December, 1867 ; and those made 'by the Hon. John Hall, and published in, the County of Westland Gazette, No. 6, of the Bfch May, 1868, and has made other regulations in lieu thereof. " 2nd. That the new Goldfields' Rules and Regulations press grievously upon your • petitioners, and tend to seriously cripple mining enterprise and retard the development of the Gold Fields of this Colony, by practically debarring the miner from working large tracks of known auriferous country of a poor quality, but which, under liberal Rules and Regulations, would afford remunerative employment to many hundreds of miners for years to come. "3rd That your petitioners are already a heavily-taxed community, and the new Rules and Regulations would be the means of imposing other.grievous and vexatious taxes upon them, even to a greater extent thanthey could bear. " 4th. That the rights of the miner are made subordinate to the capitalist in the chief element of mining industry — water — upon which the future prosperity of this large and important district in a great measure depends. " sth. That your petitioners humbly beg you will revoke the Rules and Regulations made by Conrad Hoos, Esq., Chairman of the County Council, and published in the County of Westland <?acctt<s, .No 24, August 2nd, 1870, and substitute the former ones, or take such other steps as you may deem necessary. "And your petitioners, as in duty fcouid, will ever pray, &c." The Chairman then called on those present.. to approve or dissent from the petition, when all present at once approved of it. He then read the names of several parties, to whom it would be desirable to send copies of the petition. Mr John Dowling thought it would be highly desirable to move a resolution that a subscription li&t be opened to carry out the object of the meeting, and that the subscription be limited to one shilling. He hoped that every miner and business man would contribute. Mr Power seconded the resolution, which was unanimously carried. Mr Butler proposed that Mr Hurst be appointed Ireasurer,and that, if there was a' y surplus after the expenses were paid, that it should be handed over to the Grey Hospital. Mr John Burns seconded the motion, which was at once adopted. It was decided that the copies of the petition, with the signatures, be returned to the sub-committee by Tuesday, 6th inst., so that the petition will be forwarded immediately. • It was also directed that copies of the petition should be -sent to all mining centres and the lip-country storekeepers, requesting them to use their best endeavours to carry out the object of the meeting.